Harry Potter and the Cave of UDANAX
by Caitlin Allyana
Summary: They entered a mysterious cave. Now they must race against time to save the girl closest to their hearts before it's too late.
1. Secrets of the Sennipahs

Harry Potter and the Cave of Udanax 

_**Prologue and Chapter One - Secrets of the Sennipah**_

Inside the infirmary, Professor McGonagall stood behind Harry, who had fallen asleep in a chair next to the bed where Hermione's unconscious body lay. McGonagall's stern features were filled with concern as she took in Harry's exhausted form. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and seeing the untouched food next to Harry, knew what Harry was going through at that moment. Miss Granger was a very close friend of Harry's.

_'The poor boy_,' she thought silently. As he slept, Harry clutched Hermione's stiff hand as she lay motionless on the bed. Her face was deathly pale while her lips were slightly bluish in color.

Ron was asleep as well, sitting on the floor close to Harry. Mcgonagall draped a blanket over the two boys. She walked away feeling totally helpless for the first time in her many years at Hogwarts as an instructor. She saw Madam Pomfrey in one corner, shaking her head. "Poppy, will Ms. Granger's condition improve tomorrow?" she asked the school nurse.

Madam Pomfrey shook her head. "If she doesn't wake up by tomorrow evening. There will be no hope for her," she replied regretfully.

Neville, who was about to enter the infirmary, froze at the doorway upon hearing Madam Pomfrey's words. When he entered the room, both women stopped talking. He quietly slipped in the room, stood silently next to Harry and looked at Hermione's still body. He numbly sat at the edge of bed next to Hermione, lost in his own thoughts. He remembered just this morning how excited their group was about their first trip to the Forbidden Forest.

CHAPTER ONE

"Hey, wait for me!" Ron called out to Harry, Hermione and Neville. They were on their way to their next class for that day, which was Care of Magical Creatures. Just a few steps ahead of them were Parvati, Lavender and the rest of the Gryffindor sixth years. When their group reached the place, the Slytherins were already there.

"Ol'right then, all of yeh be paired in two's. I have prepared the list," said Hagrid. He pointed to the list posted to a large tree. They immediately went to look and found out that Hagrid had the Slytherins and Gryffindors paired separately.

_ASSIGNED PAIRS_

_Neville Longbottom - Hermione Granger_

_Ron Weasley - Parvati Patil_

_Harry Potter - Lavender Brown_

Hermione found herself scanning the bottom of the list and read that Draco was paired to Millicent Bulstrode, while Pansy was paired with Crabbe. A ghost of a smile appeared at the sides of her mouth. When she looked up, she caught Draco Malfoy staring at her. Both of them quickly looked away.

"Right, we best get started then," boomed Hagrid's voice.

They all turned to listen to Hagrid's instructions. He led them deep into the Forbidden Forest and straight into a narrow path for about half an hour in silence. The mist was very thick, and they could barely see what was in front of them. Finally, he lifted one hand, a sign for all of them to stop.

Peering through the thick mist, they realized with a start they were now standing in front of an entrance to a enormous cave known as the Cave of the Udanax.

"Inside teh magical cave yer ter find mysterious creatures. We call em Sennipah," explained Hagrid. The students just gaped at him, too fascinated with the cave. Hagrid appeared satisfied with their reaction, and continued his explanation. "Sennipah are sensitive ter light and sound. Not one ter show themselves ter noisy crowds, Sennipahs love teh dark an' quiet. Them creatures multiply ter life force with yer happy thoughts. Teh more happy thoughts ter more they grow stronger. Don' go doing any magic with yer wands when yer inside ter cave," warned Hagrid. "It only backfire to yer."

He explicitly instructed them into groups of ten, five pairs to each group. Each group would get a turn in going inside the cave. Hagrid would accompany them, while the rest waited outside.

"I repeat, no sound inside ter cave. And no running either," Hagrid warned them. No one said a word. "Ahright. Who wants teh be firs' ter enter the cave?" he inquired. The Slytherin group volunteered at once. "Fine. Ol' of ye come wit' me!"Hagrid turned to Harry's gang and said, "Rest of ye, wait here."

Draco Malfoy was the first one to move and the rest followed Hagrid inside the cave. When they were finally out of sight, Hermione happened to glance at Neville.

"Neville, is there something wrong?" she asked with concern.

"My grandmother once told me it's unlucky to enter a cave," answered Neville, nervously.

"I don't know about that," she told him, "but Hagrid will be there. He won't let any harm come unto us. Don't worry about it." Hermione smiled at him.

Neville seemed to relax. "You really think so?"

Hermione nodded, still smiling.

"Err, Neville," she said with slight hesitation, "I happen to notice, you seem to be doing well in Potions."

At this remark, Neville gave a sheepish smile.

"Well, you see, Hermione," he said, "err, Hermione, can you keep a secret?" His cheeks appeared a little flushed.

Hermione nodded, looking intrigued.

"Em, you see I'm using Kwikspell." His voice barely a whisper, not wanting others to hear for fear he might get laughed at.

"Kwikspell?" she repeated, clearly confused.

"It's a corresponding home lesson," he explained."It helps forgetful persons, like me, to remember better." He seemed relieved Hermione was not laughing at him.

"Good for you!" Hermione said.She was glad for him. She had been friends with Neville since first year, but until that exact moment, she had not noticed how far he had come from being the round faced, forgetful and extremely clumsy little boy that he once was. She felt proud of him, knowing how hard it was for him.She never liked watching Neville be bullied by other students; he deserved to be happy. She remembered with sadness what Harry told them about what happened to Neville's parents.

She was shaken out of her reverie when she heard Neville say, "Hagrid's back, Hermione."

"Just follow me," Hagrid called out to them.With Harry at the front, they silently followed Hagrid into the cave. It was incredibly dark inside and eerily silent. It made most of them intensely nervous. Even Hermione felt tense. She was trying her best not to stumble or fall on the ground, which was hard to do, since they were all groping in the dark; she could hardly see who's in front of her. All ten of them tried to keep up with Hagrid, not having the least desire to get lost.

"It's creepy here!" whispered Lavender.

"Sshh."

"Harry, was that you?" Lavender asked in a hushed voice.

There was no reply.

"I know we're not supposed to talk. Sorry," Lavender mumbled.

Hermione silently agreed with Lavender but didn't say anything. She did have a very strong urge to conjure a bluebell flame, but controlled that urge when she remembered Hagrid's warning about doing any magic inside the cave.

"Why is it so dark here?" Ron grumbled. "We could do with a bit of light, eh?"

"Ron, what are you doing?" Parvati bumped into Ron. "Why did you stop?"

"Looking for my wand," Ron muttered, "Ahh, here it is."

"Ron, you, moron," Parvati said angrily, "no magic inside the cave!"

"Sorry, I forgot," he snapped irritably.

"Ron, shut it," Hermione heard Dean say.

"Okay." Ron sounded annoyed. "I hope there's no spider in here."

"Don't be a sissy," Dean retorted.

"Shut it, you two!" Hermione heard Harry said impatiently.

Ron grunted but didn't argue anymore.After that, all they could hear was their muffled breathing, and the shuffling of their feet. They finally reached the center of the cave. It wasn't dark anymore. There was a huge stalactite emitting a bluish light, which illuminated the whole cave. Draco and the others were already seated by the crevices in pairs. Hagrid told them in a hushed voice to sit in pairs anywhere they wanted.

Hermione chose a spot; Neville sat beside her. The others followed suit. After a minute or so, Hermione felt something. She tugged at Neville's robes. He looked at her questioningly. She whispered, "Don't you feel anything weird?"

"Thought I was just imagining it," he admitted in a low voice.

Slowly, a kaleidoscope of color surrounded Hermione and Neville, who were both astonished by the sight. Suddenly, something even more colorful appeared in front of them. It was as big as a rabbit, oddly shaped and shimmering with prisms of color. She thought at first glance that it might be a Cornish Pixie, but realized in an instant that it wasn't. Looking closely, she discovered its eyes were as round as saucers, and it had a funny looking beak, but it didn't resemble any sort of bird, which Hermione had ever seen before. The Sennipah, Hermione discovered, looked like a weird combination of a furby and McDonald's Grimace only it was multicolored and it shimmered and dazzled Hermione with its astonishing brilliance.

Hermione, fascinated, reached out to touch it.

"Don't touch it, Hermione." Neville stared fearfully at the unknown creature.

Hermione had never experienced something like this before. She gasped in surprise. "Neville, it's okay. Go on. touch it." Her voice was filled with wonder. Never in her wildest dream could she ever imagine seeing the thoughts, which used to swirl inside her head, with her own two eyes. '_This is incredible!'_ she thought.

Still looking fearful, Neville slowly reached out a trembling hand to touch the Sennipah. The moment his fingertip made contact with the mysterious creature, an incredible feeling of absolute wonder suddenly filled his whole being. "Wow!" he murmured. He felt like floating in a dream state, his happy memories and dreams meshed into one, and the end result was his own fantasia.

What Hermione found out was that these magical creatures have the unique ability to fill people with absolute happiness, placing you in a dreamlike state of euphoria. She didn't know that Hagrid had paired them up for a reason. Whenever a pair entered the cave, each Sennipah would make it's own selection; it would allow only it's chosen pair to see and touch it. The Sennipahs allow this to happen only once in a lifetime. If one of them try to enter the cave again, even with another person, the Sennipah will not reappear.

Hermione and Neville were not aware of the time anymore, each one lost in their own private paradise. There was a flash of blinding silvery light then Neville, realized with a start that he was being immersed inside the secret world of Hermione's thoughts, dreams and memories. The same thing happened to Hermione. She was astonished as Neville's most intimate thoughts and memories flooded her mind.

For more than an hour, all of them, except from Hagrid, were able to delve in each other's most secret, most private inner thoughts and dreams.They rediscovered a lot of things they would have never possibly remember. Some even witnessed memories long forgotten, buried at the back of their mind.

Hagrid never told them that they would even have the chance to take a glimpse at the person they were partnered with. Hermione, for instance, had been friends with Neville for ages, but she didn't have an inkling what Neville's inner thoughts and feelings really were, and if not for the Sennipah, she would never have found out, not in a million years.

She was most surprised and curious to see that most of Neville's thoughts were all about a silver haired adorable little girl. The girl seemed to be about six years old. She was an extremely pretty child, reminding Hermione of a Veela. She was always smiling, sometimes laughing, playing with Neville, offering him an apple, asking him to play hide and seek and many more others childhood memories of the past. His last memory was a heart tugging one. The little girl was crying, she was waving goodbye to him. With tears in her eyes, she told Neville, "Promise, you'll owl me back."

Only one happy memory of Neville was during his stay in Hogwarts. Hermione remembered it clearly. Dumbledore had awarded Neville points for his bravery. It was because of that extra point that the Gryffindors finally won the House Cup for the first time during their first year.

Neville, on the other hand, found out a lot about Hermione. He realized with amazement that Hermione's happy memories seemed boundless in comparison to his. Last year's memories whirled past Neville's eyes in a maelstrom of colors making Neville feel slightly dazed. Gradually, the visions slowed down, becoming clearer to Neville. He saw Victor Krum asking her to visit Durmstrang. It was immediately followed by a very pretty-looking Hermione dancing with Krum during the Yule Ball. He was offered a view of Harry and Ron talking right after the first task, followed by a vision of Harry as he snatched the golden egg from the clutches of a fiery dragon. Neville like laughing out loud when Draco Malfoy was changed into a white ferret by Professor Moody. Then he saw Cedric Diggory's smiling face when he was announced Hogwarts Champion.

Neville couldn't help but wonder what Diggory was doing in Hermione's memories. He had expected to see Ron, Harry, and yes, even, Krum but not Diggory, though. It struck him as odd. Before he could dwell on it longer, the visions shifted, there was more. He saw Madam Pomfrey magically fixing Hermione's teeth. There was the colorful and exciting Quidditch World Cup championship; he saw Harry and Ron, as expected, and even a glimpse of Ginny, the Weasley twins, and Ron's parents. Then, there was Professor McGonagall praising Hermione for her work in Transfiguration. Neville couldn't help but be proud of her.

Then all of a sudden, he saw Harry riding a flying Hippogriff._ 'That's Buckbeak!'_ he thought excitedly. He couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. From what he could see, it was obviously the middle of the night, and as Neville tried to make sense of what he was seeing, he saw the same Hippogriff being led away outside Hagrid's hut. He grew confused as he listened to Ron saying, "You're no longer alone in helping Hagrid with Buckbeak's case."

Neville blinked in surprise upon seeing Professor Lupin saying, "You're the cleverest witch of your time."

There was a flurry of pinkish glittery substance, then the visions cleared once more. He saw Hagrid saying proudly, "An' they haven't invented a spell our Hermione can't do." Neville was still smiling when he saw Hermione lying in one of the beds in the Hospital Wing. She didn't seem hurt, but she was smiling as she read a Get Well Soon card. His mouth dropped open when he discovered who was the sender. It was Professor Gilderoy Lockhart.

_'What was it with Lockhart, all the girls seemed to fancy him?'_ he thought in confusion.

Neville smiled slightly as he witnessed at how Hermione took one look at the furry, ginger-haired cat, and decided then and there to buy the cat. Dumbledore appeared so suddenly, startling Neville. The Headmaster, Neville realized, was awarding Hermione points for cool logic during their first year. The scene changed before him. He had to squint because it was dark and quite hard to see what Hermione, Ron and Harry were doing at the rooftop. They seemed to be carrying something, and were waiting for someone named Charlie. He was still wondering about what it was they were carrying, when he saw Harry catch the golden snitch for the first time in Quidditch.

A wave of sparkling, bluish substance encircled Neville for a full minute. Then it whooshed past him, and he could see Hermione waving her wand in Ollivander's shop. Behind her, Mr. Ollivander appeared extremely pleased at the choice of wand he had selected for her. He couldn't help but feel slightly nostalgic as he was reminded how impressed they all were the first time they entered Hogwarts. He caught a glimpse of an obviously elated Hermione as she read the letter, which informed her that she was officially accepted as a student in Hogwarts school of Magic.

It was quite a pleasant surprise for Neville when he saw a much younger Hermione sitting on his father's lap. Her father was looking at her fondly, telling her, "Daddy will always love you."

Neville felt a stab of sadness, remembering his own parents. It took him a few seconds before he realized that what he was seeing was probably a memory of Hermione when she was still a baby. There were tiny fairies encircling her crib. She raised one chubby hand, trying to catch one of the fairies. Neville thought she looked adorable as she gurgled happily, smiling at the fairies.

There were still a lot more visions whirling around but were starting to fade into a blur, confounding Neville.

The Sennipah slowly faded, then disappeared entirely. All of the them slowly drift back to reality.

Draco was the first one to stand up. He was followed by Millicent Bullstrode as steadied herself when she stood up. They looked around, observing the others. Pansy looked unmistakably uneasy while Goyle was looking at her in an alarmed way. He quickly left her side and scrambled to Crabbe's side. Among the Gryffindors, Harry looked lightheaded. Ron was smiling sheepishly, his eyes downcast. The rest, including Dean had a look of amazement on their faces.

Hagrid made a sign telling them to leave the cave in pairs. They all turned to leave, but stopped when Neville cried out, "Hermione?"

They all turned to look at Neville, who waskneeling towards a deathly pale Hermione, lying crumpled on the ground. Hagrid was about to rush to Hermione's direction, when a very frightened Ron shouted, "Hagrid, Parvati's not breathing at all!"

Parvati was slumped unconscious to the ground. Like Hermione, her face was chalky white and eyes tightly closed. Before anyone could do anything, Harry said in a startled voice, "Lavender isn't breathing either!"

Panic instantly filled the entire group.

Hagrid said tersely, "Someone help me carry them three outa here. The rest of yeh go in two's and leave the cave this instant."

To everyone's surprise, it was Draco Malfoy who immediately rushed to Hermione's side. He scooped her up and carried her in his arms. "I'll carry Hermione outside," he said to Hagrid.

Pansy let out a shocked gasp.

Draco took no notice of the shocked expression among the Slytherins, and hurriedly walked towards the path leading to the entrance.

A stunned Hagrid nodded. Everyone stood there in disbelief, most especially Ron and Harry. Neville recovered from his shock and quickly followed Draco. Ron quickly lifted Parvati and left the still stunned group without saying a word. Harry, with Lavender in his arms, followed suit. Hagrid motioned to the class to follow quickly. The rest began walking towards the path, which led to the cave's entrance. Nobody uttered a single word; they just kept walking in muted silence.

Outside, Draco placed Hermione gently on the grass, then he took his wand and a stretcher popped into view. Quickly placing the deathly pale Hermione on the stretcher, he waited for the others to come out of the cave. He remained standing rigidly by her side, a frown on his pale face.

It didn't take very long, but it felt like a lifetime to him. The first to come out was Neville, followed by Ron and Harry. Finally, Hagrid's bulky form appeared as well. Hagrid prepared two more stretchers for Lavender and Parvati. A little while later, everybody had come out of the cave, looking perplexed and worried.

Harry immediately strode towards Hermione's side. He glared at Draco, who still had not budged from his spot. He looked away and focused on Hermione's face. But her pallid face only made him look more agitated.

"Ennervate!"

To his utter dismay, nothing happened.

Ron had already left Parvati Patil and was now standing close toHarry. He looked furiously at Draco, who remained standing at Hermione's side.

"What's he doing here?" he asked Harry, throwing Draco a scornful look.

When Harry didn't make a reply, he whipped his wand and pointed it at Hermione.

"Ennervate!"

Again nothing happened. Worse, Hermione's pallor seemed to be changing to a bluish hue, which was normally associated with dead people.

Ron gave Harry a terrified look. "Harry, it's not working."

"It's no use, Ron. I've already tried that," Harry said grimly.

He went to Ron's side. They looked helplessly at each other. He placed a comforting hand on Ron's shoulder. With great reluctance, Ron put down his wand. Harry silently ignored Draco, but Ron, on the other hand, kept glaring at Draco pointedly.

"What's that idiot doing?" Draco said all of a sudden, making Harry and Ron look at him in surprise.

Harry followed Draco's gaze. His eyes blazed with anger as he turned to Draco. "Don't you ever call Hagrid an idiot!"

"If he isn't a complete idiot," Draco replied scathingly, "then what is he doing at a time like this?"

"You're the only idiot here, Malfoy," Ron fired back. Turning to Harry, he whispered, "What is Hagrid up to?"

Hagrid appeared to be busy picking fruits on a nearby tree. The fruit was about as big as a cherry, but silver in color

"I dunno," Harry replied quietly. "Ron, do you know what fruit is that?"

Ron shook his head. "Maybe we should go ask him," he suggested. "Hey, what's he doing now?"

They observed in confusion as Hagrid started smashing the fruits he picked with his hand. He then grabbed a thick leaf to hold the juice flowing from the smashed fruits.

"He seems to be coming this way." Harry said.

True enough, Hagrid was heading towards them. He went to Hermione first, placing the leaf close to her lips. He let one drop of the colorless juice drop onto her lips, then he did exactly the same to Parvati and Lavender.

With bated breath, they waited for some kind of reaction but nothing happened.

"I fergot that Muggle born are affected strangely by Sennipah," Hagrid said guiltily. "I don' understan' why those ter are affected, too."

But no one felt blaming Hagrid for what just happened. Even the Slytherins were oddly silent. Not even Draco Malfoy had anything to say at the moment.

Long silence ensued.

"Will they die?"

Everyone stared at Pansy Parkinson in surprise.

"She isn't going to die!" Ron snapped furiously.

"I'd like ter say no," Hagrid said, sighing,"but really do not know. This ne'er happened afore."


	2. The Song Charm

Chapter Two - Life Giving song charm

Chapter Two

It had been more than half an hour since all three girls had fallen unconscious, and nobody, not even Hagrid, could explain the reason behind it.

The students stood outside the cave, lost in their own thoughts.

"If only Muggleborns were affected differently, then why am I not affected?" Dean asked Seamus, who was seated next to him.

"Parvati and Lavender weren't Muggleborn," Seamus corrected him.

"Then why were they affected at all?"

"I dunno," Seamus told Dean. He stared at where Harry and Ron were standing next to Draco Malfoy. "I wonder what Malfoy's doing standing there with them."

"Beats me," Dean muttered, gazing at Malfoy with a confounded expression.

Their attention on Malfoy, they didn't notice Goyle and Crabbe walking past them.

Goyle and Crabbe hunkered towards Neville, who was keeping an eye on Parvati as she lay stiffly on a stretcher. Neville seemed surprised to see them.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing," Goyle grunted. He gazed at Parvati's pale face only for a second before turning away abruptly. "Let's go, Crabbe."

Neville watched them walked away, looking slightly confounded.

Goyle and Crabbe headed back towards the side of the cave's entrance, where the Slytherins were huddled, when Crabbe turned to Goyle and smirked maliciously. "You seem worried about her."

Goyle gave him a withering look and grunted, "She's been nice to me during Potions, that's all."

Crabbe rolled his eyes and snorted loudly.

"Shut it," growled Goyle.

Crabbe, still smirking, saw Pansy talking to Millicent Bullstrode; he motioned to Goyle to follow him. They stopped a few feet away from where Pansy and Millicent stood.

"He must be out of his right mind to carry that . . . Mudblood in his arms!" Pansy fumed."Why should he be concerned with her, anyway," she muttered furiously.

"Well, I did wonder," Millicent began saying.

"I hope the little Mudblood rots in hell," hissed Pansy, under her breath.

Millicent made a surprised sound.

"I wish she dies soon enough," Pansy muttered furiously. She turned to study Millicent's reaction. "You're awfully quiet, what is it?"

Millicent didn't answer her; she was looking across the spot where Draco stood.

"You haven't you told me what you saw, Millicent."

Millicent mumbled, "Mostly saw his mom."

"And?"

Millicent looked hesitant. "I'm not sure."

"What do you mean you're not sure?" Pansy demanded.

"I might be mistaken," she told her, avoiding Pansy's eyes.

"What was it you're not telling me?"

"I thought I saw her," Millicent finally said with obvious reluctance.

"Who?" Pansy asked, her voice turned slightly shrill. "You don't mean, Granger, do you?"

"Might be," Millicent replied vaguely.

"I don't believe you," Pansy spluttered, eyeing Millicent furiously.

Millicent shrugged, leaving a furious looking Pansy behind.

Crabbe and Goyle exchanged surprised looks. When they looked back, Pansy was already trying to catch up with Millicent.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hagrid, shouldn't we bring them to Madam Pomfrey for treatment?"

"Maybe Madam Pomfrey could do something to help them," Ron added.

"No, better not," replied Hagrid, looking gravely serious, "I know that if somethin' wrong happened, must stay outside the cave an' wait."

Harry sighed, looking depressed.

"Is there any other spell we can use?" Ron wondered out loud. "Anything at all?"

Draco remained silent. Even when Seamus and Dean threw him dark looks before standing close to Harry's side.

"Can't we try the Life Giving song charm?"

Harry turned to see a worried-looking Neville, his face chalky white and looking as desperate as they were.

"It would not hurt ter try!" Hagrid said enthusiastically.

Hagrid asked the students to immediately form a big circle, with the three stretchers in the center of the circle.They held hands together as they chanted the Life Giving charm. After a few agonizing minutes, Hagrid observed the pallor of their skin had changed gradually from a dead like bluish sheen to chalky white. With renewed hope, they chanted with increasing determination. They were no longer aware of the time, they just kept on chanting, waiting fervently for something good to happen.

All that time, Draco watched Hermione intently. His eyes never left her. He had forgotten where he was, and who he was with, as he reached out to tuck a wayward strand behind her right ear.

Harry looked livid when he saw what Draco was doing.

"Get your filthy hands off her!"

Draco looked startled and immediately jerked his hand away.

Harry took a threatening step toward Draco but froze in his track, when he heard Seamus shouting excitedly, "Lavender moved!" Harry went still and turned to look at Lavender.

All eyes were on Lavender, and everyone seemed to be holding their breath as they watched her come back to her senses. Lavender opened her eyes very slowly.

"What's going on?' she asked weakly.

"You mean, you don't remember anything at all?" Dean asked.

Lavender, still as pale as ever, shook her head.

"You're going to be fine," Seamus assured her, patting her arm.

With Lavender fully awake, they continued chanting. Another ten minutes passed before Parvati's eyes slowly fluttered open.

"She's awake!" somebody shouted excitedly.

Still feeling weak, Parvati remained lying on the stretcher. She turned her head to her left and saw Lavender, lying on the stretcher next to hers. Parvati extended her hand towards her. Lavender reached out and clutched her hand tightly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

With both girls successfully revived, the rest of them continued the chant. Hermione, however, remained immobile and stiff.

"I don't feel too good," Ron whispered to Harry. "I could hear something buzzing in my ear."

"I can hear it too," Harry mumbled in agreement. "I'm getting dizzy . . ."

Seamus had already stopped chanting. "I think I'm going to throw up," he said weakly, looking ill.

Hagrid observed the group. They all looked like they were ready to drop on the ground. He looked intently at Hermione, lying stiff and pale on the stretcher. Like everyone else, he too, could hear a faint buzzing sound inside his head. His eyes began to glaze. He took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"C'mon, Hermione, wake up, yer can do it!" Hagrid's voice boomed loud and clear.

It was enough for Harry and everyone else to remember that Hermione still needed their help. They continued to chant, although their voices were much weaker; they were all getting tired.

"She isn't going make it," muttered Draco, sounding oddly desperate.

"Shut it, Malfoy!" Ron retorted angrily.

Draco opened his mouth to make a sharp reply when his eyes widened in surprise, his eyes glued on Hermione's face.

Hermione had opened her eyes for one brief second, before closing again. If Ron and Harry weren't staring at her, they would have missed it.

Ron yelled excitedly, "Hermione just opened her eyes!"

"A'right, let's bring them ter the infirmary," instructed Hagrid, to the group.

"Mobilicorpus!" shouted Hagrid.

The stretchers, which carried Hermione, Lavender and Parvati, followed Hagrid, as he and the rest of the students trudged back to the castle.

Inside the hospital wing, "What's all this?" asked an outraged Madam Pomfrey. She took one look at the pale faces of the students, and quickly took several bars of chocolates. "Here," she said, handing the bars to Ron who was at the front, "distribute this to everyone."

"Forty five minutes!" Madam Pomfrey shrieked in outrage. Hagrid had told her what had happened

"You could have all died," she rattled on, her voice shaking a little.

A couple of students gasped out loud.

"Consider yourself very lucky to be alive." She looked at Harry pointedly. "Chanting more than thirty minutes could be fatal enough to cause death!"

"They are not to be disturbed, for at least, four hours," she barked, referring to Hermione, Parvati and Lavender."Visitors are welcome to drop by after that. I would allow a minimum of four visitors only per visit."

Before Harry and Ron could protest, Professor McGonagall entered the infirmary. She looked at the disheveled group, "I've already cancelled today's classes for both Slytherin and Gryffindor. All of you must go to your respective common room."

Draco Malfoy was the first one to leave.The rest of the students reluctantly left. McGonagall turned her attention to Harry and Ron. "Mister Potter and Mister Weasley, you two will be permitted to watch over Miss Granger."

Harry and Ron quickly thanked her. She was about to leave, when Neville stopped her. She nodded after listening to what Neville had to say. She spoke quickly, then left the infirmary in hurried strides.

Harry and Ron looked questioningly at Neville.

"I asked her if I could stay," explained Neville. "Professor McGonagall said I could help keep an eye on Parvati and Lavender."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By late afternoon, Parvati, although still weak, was able to sit up and talk. Hermione, however, remained asleep. Lavender was taken home by her parents, who were notified by Dumbledore.

That evening, a very proud looking Flitwick dropped by at the infirmary. Hagrid had told the whole faculty about how the song charm saved the day.

"Both Gryffindor and Slytherin gets bonus points each for performing the chant," Flitwick announced happily.

The tiny professor chatted with them for a while before finally excusing himself. Flitwick had barely left, when the door swung open again. It was the Divinations teacher. Professor Trelawney had juststepped inside the infirmary, when her face suddenly went chalky white and started mumbling something incoherent.

Harry, Ron, Parvati and Neville stared at the professor in shock. All they got were the words, "Following the light and someone dying a horrible death," before Trelawney fell in a heap onto the floor. Neville and Ron quickly lifted the professor to the next bed. She had passed out cold.

After a long silence, Ron whispered, "What was all that about?"

He looked at Parvati and Neville, who were firm believers of Divination. Neville seemed nervous while Parvati looked horrified.

"I'll go call Madam Pomfrey," said Neville, and quickly bolted out of the room.

Harry was silent.

Two years ago, Trelawney had predicted about a follower who would return back to his master and that Voldemort would rise back to power. He did not believe her at the time she made the prediction, but after the prediction materialized, he now gave her predictions some serious thoughts. But not to her tea-leaf reading, she had predicted his death since third year that he had gotten used to her exaggerated warnings of his probable death. He was about to say something when Neville returned with Madam Pomfrey.

It took a good couple of minutes before Professor Trelawney woke up, totally unaware of what happened. She was not allowed to leave until Madam Pomfrey was convinced that there was nothing wrong with her. The Divination Professor left the hospital wing, accompanied by Madam Pomfrey.

When the door opened, they all thought it was Madam Pomfrey. To their surprise, Crabbe and Goyle, accompanied by Pansy, entered the room.

"Parvati," Goyle said awkwardly.

Harry and Ron gaped at Goyle, as he handed Parvati a bunch of white lilies and a box of chocolate frogs.

"Thank you," Parvati said quietly, giving Goyle a slight smile.

Pansy went to Hermione's bedside and stared at the still unconscious Hermione.

"You see, she's fine," Ron told Pansy smugly.

Pansy gave Ron a disdainful look. She turned to Crabbe and Goyle, saying, "Let's go."

Goyle seemed reluctant to leave, but he followed Crabbe and Pansy to the door. After the three left, Ron turned to face Parvati.

"I didn't know you and Goyle," he began saying.

"He's not that terrible," Parvati said."But I don't like Crabbe, he kept giving me funny looks."

"Goyle, not terrible?" Ron choked, looking a bit purple on the face.

"Forget that I even said that." Parvati frowned at Ron. "Would you like some chocolate frogs?"

"You bet," Ron answered with a slight grin, as he reached for the box of chocolate frogs.

Two hours later, Parvati was still talking animatedly with Ron, who was seated near her bedside. Neville had already fallen asleep on a chair nearby.

Harry felt thirsty.

"I'll just get some Pumpkin juice," he told Ron and Parvati, who seemed not to hear him.

Harry had stepped out of the hospital wing, when he saw Madam Pomfrey conversing with Dumbledore in a low voice.

"If Miss Granger's not revived the next day, death will be inevitable."

To Be Continued

_My heartfelt thanks goes to Sabrina Black for beta-reading the first and original draft of this story. Thanks for all the help._

_Lastly, I would like to thank Melissa D for guiding me in re-writing this story. I can't thank you enough._


	3. Lost in the Forbidden Forest

_Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. _

**Chapter Three - Lost in the Forbidden Forest**

Draco stared morosely at the lake. He could remember how she loved to watch the giant squid.

"Damn it!" he cursed softly. '_I am already thinking of her as if she were dead.'_

He couldn't help but recall the conversation he had just overheard between Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey. He had wanted to sneak a look at Hermione and had entered the infirmary secretly. Hiding amongst the shadows he heard Madam Pomfrey's voice. "If Miss Granger's not revived the next day, death will be inevitable."

He angrily kicked at a pebble and watched it bounce several feet ahead of him. He was about to turn away when he saw something odd. He squinted at the unfamiliar object, trying to guess what it was. His curiosity got the better of him; he went near it. As he came closer, his eyes widened, he quickly kneeled and scooped it with his hands.

_'This couldn't possibly be . . .' _

He was stunned. He looked around him, then quickly ran all the way back to the castle with the object gently cradled in both his hands. Upon reaching the gargoyle, he stopped and tried to think of the password.

"Err . . . ice mice?"

He gritted his teeth. He felt annoyed that he hadn't memorized all the names of the candies in Honey Dukes. As he looked at the thing he held in his hand, Hermione's paper-white face appeared and galvanized him into a thinking frenzy.

"Cockroach Cluster!"

"Sugar Quill!"

"Jelly Slugs!"

"Pepper Imps!"

"Stupid gargoyle!" In his anger, he took a swing at the statue and ended up with a broken knuckle. '_Think, Malfoy! Use your brains.' _He ignored the blood that trickled out from the wound and took a deep breath as he tried to think straight.

"Blood-flavored Lollipops!" he cried one more time out of desperation.

Since nothing happened, he decided to go look for Professor Snape. He had barely taken two steps away when the gargoyle slid to the side and the entrance to Dumbledore's office came into view. He rushed forward and nearly crashed headlong into the Headmaster.

"Headmaster, look!"

He showed the object in his hands to Dumbledore. Dumbledore's face turned from jovial to troubled, as his bright blue eyes suddenly darkened like a stormy cloud. He didn't ask Draco any questions as he reached out to take it. He lay it on the table, then whispered a few soft words to Fawkes, who was silently perched on the book table. Fawkes flew out of the window in an instant.

"Give me your right hand, Draco."

Draco was surprised at the request. He slowly extended his hand towards the Headmaster.

Dumbledore pointed his wand and uttered, "Healaga woundu." Draco's hand was magically healed in seconds. "Thank you, Headmaster."

Dumbledore nodded. He turned his attention back to the object. His fingers gently stroking it, he looked into Draco's worried face. "Where did you find it?"

"I saw it outside near the lake. Nearly didn't recognize it. It wasn't gleaming with colors like the first time I saw it. It was like a blur and when I touched it, it was like touching a cotton ball. There was none of the tingling sensations I had felt inside the cave."

Dumbledore didn't say anything.

"I checked the ground, I only found this one . . . is it dead?"

"I'm not sure, but it would be if you hadn't seen it."

Draco wanted to ask more but the door swung open and in came Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall, both wearing anxious expression.

"Albus, what happened?" McGonagall stopped speakingupon laying eyes on the blurred figure on the table.

"My goodness! Is that what I think it is?" She quickly took the limp creature and very nearly dropped it. "How could this be possible?"

"Stop asking questions that none of us can answer," snapped Snape.

"Mr. Malfoy discovered it by the lake." At the shocked look on the two teachers, Dumbledore continued, "The Sennipah had come a long way from the Forbidden Forest. Something dire must have occurred inside the cave."

He turned to Snape. "Severus, get Hagrid. The two of you need to check the Cave of Udanax."

"Minerva, go and check Miss Granger's condition. There must be a correlation between what happened to Miss Granger and to the state of the Sennipah."

McGonagall quickly left the room, but Snape seemed reluctant to leave.

"Sir, may I go with Professor Snape?"

Dumbledore and Snape turned around to look at Draco Malfoy,who appearedextremely worried.Dumbledore slowly nodded.

"I don't think that would be a good idea," countered Snape. "It's already past midnight, you should have been in your common room by now."

"Let Mr. Malfoy go. He might be of some assistance." The Headmaster's words silenced any further argument by Snape.

"All right, let's go Mr. Malfoy," Snape said impatiently.

Snape and Hagrid flanked Draco in the middle. All three were silent as they trod their way to the Forbidden Forest. The mist was incredibly thick. Their wands were of no use, since all they could make out were the pointed glowing tips of their wand. If it hadn't been for Hagrid's familiarity with the surrounding, they would probably have gotten lost.

"Yeh better put yer wands out now. No magic insider the cave," warned Hagrid. Both Draco and Snape put out their wands.

When they entered the cave, Draco realized no matter how eerie the cave was during daytime, it was much better compared to the unnerving stark darkness and goose-bumps inducing icy air that welcomed them at that moment. Even the most brave-hearted would quail in fear.

"Strange, shulda bin some light by now," wondered Hagrid. He was very sure they had reached the center of the cave.

"What the-"

Draco stumbled and found himself sprawled across the gravelly ground of the cave. He could feel his knees bleeding as the sharp stones cut through his clothes.

"Are you alright, Mr. Malfoy?" Snape's voice echoed loudly in the darkness.

Draco grunted.

"Stay there. Don't move until I tell you so."

Snape looked around and could see absolutely nothing. It was almost like walking in a room with your eyes shut tightly.

"To hell with this!" Snape growled. He got angry at groping blindly in the darkness, and got impatient, uncaring what the consequences would be he as shouted, "LUMOS!"

The tip of his wand glowed and as Snape adjusted his eyes to the light, he looked around the cave. His eyes fell on Hagrid who stood rigidly at the far end of the cave, he was looking upwards. Snape followed Hagrid's gaze.

"Merlin's beard!" Hagrid was aghast at seeing the stalactite hanging at the center of the cave, blackened, with half of it broken and shattered.

Draco remembered Hagrid's lecture that under normal circumstances, no magic should be done inside the cave. Hagrid had told the class that the last time someone tried to do magic inside the cave, the poor student was turned into a pillar of stone for nine months. He stood up and stared at the stalactite or what was left of it. '_Something is very wrong . . .'_

There were no signs of the Sennipah. Snape closed over the distance and kneeled to look closely at the shattered stalactite lying on the ground.

"Don't touch it. Yer never know what mighta happen," Hagrid said in a whisper. He remained where he was standing, refusing to budge from his position.

But Snape refused too listen, he touched the surface of the stalactite with his right hand.

"Arrgh!" Snape quickly removed his hand. "Bloody Hell!"

A searing white-hot pain shot across Snape's hand and burned a large hole at the center of his palm. He didn't realize that the stalactite was as hot as a branding iron. He pressed the wand on his right palm and muttered, "Mendum burnos!".

It took several minutes before the burning sensation stopped. But his palm remained scorching red, and blood trickled steadily from the gaping wound. He scowled, clearly annoyed at his stupidity. As an excruciating pain overtook him, his vision started to dim.

"I told yer not to touch it." Hagrid took two steps towards Snape when he noticed the stunned expression on Draco who looked alarmingly pale.

"Doncha be frightened, he's all right." At that exact moment Snape slid on the floor unconscious.

Draco pointed a finger at Hagrid's back. "Hagrid, look out!"

It was too late. Hagrid had not realized that something had slowly encircled his entire being. He struggled with all his might with whatever it was that had engulfed his whole body. But it was no use, Hagrid was dragged into a black hole which suddenly appeared at the far end of the cave.

Draco recovered his senses and was about to go near Hagrid but the half-giant shouted, "Yeh take Snape and go ter Dumbledore NOW!"

Snape was still unconscious. Draco quickly pulled the professor away from the dark shadow which had slowly crept towards Snape's prone figure.

He shouted, "Mobilicorpus!" and Snape, dangling a few inches above the ground, drifted in front of him. They were able to get out of the cave, but Draco was greeted with more problems.He looked helplessly through the thick mist._ 'Only Hagrid knows this path. How can I find my way to the castle?' _

When they were a short distance away from the cave he stopped. "Ennervate!" he shouted, as he pointed the wand at Snape's stiff figure. But Snape remained unconscious. '_It's just like what happened to Hermione. Should I use the life giving song charm on him?One person wasn't of much use. Besides it wasn't the effect of the Sennipah, it must probably be due to losing too much blood.'_

He tried the healing spell but it had no effect whatsoever. '_Strange, the spell won't work and Snape's wound won't close_.' Draco had no choice but tore the end of his robe and used the ripped cloth to bind tightly around the wound to stop the bleeding. He continued walking through the thick mist; his wand pointed at Snape to keep him drifting ahead of him. The professor's robe kept getting snagged between thick branches as they made their way through the thick cluster of trees.

But after an hour, Dracorealized he was walking in circles. He slumped to the ground, thoroughly exhausted. His face was grim, as he run his fingers through his hair in exasperation. He remained in that position for a long time.

He suddenly remembered why he was in the Forbidden Forest in the first place, and he hurriedly stood up. But the mist was so thick, it would be next to impossible for him to get out of the forest. Out of anger, he threw a rock against a tree.

"IS THERE ANYONE WHO CAN BLOODY HELP US?" he shouted at the top of his lungs, as he punched his fist up into the air. "CAN ANYBODY HEAR ME? WE NEED HELP!"

He kept on shouting himself hoarse until he crumpled to the ground in surrender. He was filled with guilt at what happened inside the cave. He had noticed something slowly creeping around Hagrid but he dismissed it; thinking it was just a mere harmless shadow. He had had no idea it had a life of its own. '_If I had just said something, maybe Hagrid would not . . .'_

As his bleak eyes fell on Snape, a memory not so long ago came rushing back at him. It was one of those moonlit nights, they were by the lake, watching the giant squid.

_"Granger, what's the point of learning this stupid spell?"_

_"You can dismiss this spell Malfoy, but you'll find this quite useful later on."_

_"Just because your precious Potter used this in the Tri-Wizard competition, doesn't mean it should be on the Top Ten List of Spells Every Wizard Should Know. If you ask me, this spell belongs to the Top Secret Spell Potter Needs To Find A Girlfriend, or better yet, Longbottom's Top Three Spells Needed To Find His Brain."_

_"First of all, he is not my precious Potter. Second, you'll never know when you might get lost. Although, knowing you're such a daft prick, you wouldn't realize you were already lost until it's too late. And I'm warning you, Malfoy . . . if you say 'your precious Potter' one more time or any bad word against Neville, I swear you will be one sorry looking ferret when I'm finished with you!"_

As his mind returned to the present, a ghost of a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth for a fleeting second. Then he remembered the state of her condition and the predicament he was in right now, and for the first time in his life, Draco felt overwhelmed with helplessness. He stared blankly towards through the mist, not knowing what to do.

All of a sudden, he remembered what Hermione told him the day before they were supposed to go to the cave.

_"What? You're not afraid of going inside a cave, are you?"_

_"Excuse me, Granger, a Malfoy is not afraid of anything!"_

_"Oh, really? Harry told me how scared you were in the Forbidden Forest when we were eleven. Don't you dare deny it!"_

_"I was eleven, that was ages ago. I'll show you what Malfoys are made of!"_

_"You're all talk. Prove it first."_

He slowly stood up. Those words were exactly what he needed. His face set with determination, he placed the wand flat on his open right palm and said, "Point me."

Draco looked on as the wand rotated and pointed to a direction. With Snape's wand in his left hand, he kept the Potions Master drifting ahead of him. He followed the direction the other wand pointed, but since he never did pay much attention to the Four-Point Spell when Hermione was teaching it to him, he wasn't sure if he did it correctly or if he was going to the right direction.

It had been quite sometime when he finally decided to stop and look around. '_At least, most of the mist had cleared up_.' He looked closely to where he was. He was still in the midst of the Forbidden Forest with a professor still out cold. '_Great, I'm still lost. Serves me right for not listening to her.'_ His mood sank to its lowest level as he stared bleakly at his surroundings.

All of a sudden, an unfamiliar clicking sound echoed through the stillness. His ears pricked and he could sense danger ahead. He quickly took refuge behind a huge boulder, he held the unconscious Snape close to him. Soon enough, he saw something gigantic; it was carrying something in it's huge pincers.

_'A Giant Spider! How could it possibly exist in the Forbidden Forest?'_ He ducked from view and hoped that it would not see them. The sight of a spider the size of a small elephant with eight legs made him break out in cold sweat.

The monster stopped a few feet away from the boulder, clicking its pincers wildly. Perspiration trickled down his face as he pressed closer against the boulder. With his hand gripping his wand tightly, he shut his eyes and tried to think what spell to use in case it discovered him and Snape. He stiffened when he felt the monster coming closer to where he was hiding; but the monster passed by the boulder and headed towards a narrow clearing. When he heard it walk away, Draco heaved a sigh of relief.'_That was bloody close!'_

With Snape still drifting ahead of him, he took the opposite direction, stumbled upon a small clearing and was nearly trampled by a half-horse, half-man. It was raven-haired, dark-skinned and chestnut-bodied with a savage look on his face. Caught by surprise, Draco had dropped Snape's wand and the unconscious Potions Master fell on the ground with a loud thud, face first.

"What are you doing here?" The Centaur's cold voice echoed in the air.

"Hagrid is trapped inside the Cave of Udanax and Professor Snape is knocked out cold. I am lost and couldn't find my way back to the school," Draco said in a rush."Can you show me the way? I've been going in circles."

His words stopped as the Centaur looked at him icily. Both human and magical beast looked at each other straight in the eye. Draco remembered poor Snape still lying face down on the ground; he quickly picked up the wand and the professor's prone figure floated above the ground.

Still the Centaur remained silent, and this angered Draco. '_Damn it, I don't have time for this. If you don't want to help just bloody say so. I'm not going to beg.'_

The Centaur extended one bronzed muscular hand towards the left path. "Go straight ahead, and don't look back. After you reached three dead intertwined tree, you take the middle road, then go straight until you reach the castle."

Draco couldn't believe it. He thanked the Centaur, who nodded gravely at him, then quickly took the direction the Centaur suggested.

'_I must get to Dumbledore!' _

(To be continued)

_Author's note: I would like to thank the most awesome beta-reader one could ask for. To my favorite author Melissa D, a big schnoogle for the guidance and grammar advice! I'm really grateful to Melissa for everything. My punctuation is slowly improving but my tenses are still off, luckily, Melissa's very cool about it and even helped me with characterization. And what's so cool is that she loves Draco just as much as I do._

_Thanks to Joycie Lionheart for the spells. Melissa was right, you are amazing with spells! You're like Hermione in the flesh. Huggles to you girl for the help. _


End file.
